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Jessica Dutro allegedly murdered her son because she thought he was gay (Picture: Washington County Sheriff)

A mother beat her son to death because she thought he was gay, a court has heard.

Jessica Dutro, from Portland, Oregon, allegedly assaulted four-year-old Zachary Dutro-Boggess and two of his siblings over a period of time, which eventually led to his death in August 2012.

The judge in the case allowed the inclusion of a Facebook message sent by Ms Dutro to her boyfriend Brian Canady, in which she expressed concern that her son ‘walked and talked’ as if he might be gay.

Dutro’s boyfriend Brian Canady has agreed to testify against her (Picture: Washington County Sheriff)

She also wrote he had angered her and was ‘facing the wall’ as punishment.

Zachary’s seven-year-old sister said their mother had beaten him until he ‘got dead’, during an interview with police.

Canady, who admitted kicking Zachary in the midriff, has since agreed to testify against his girlfriend as part of a deal with the prosecution for manslaughter. He will no longer face murder charges as a result.

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Zachary died of an infection caused by his intestines tearing after he had suffered severe injuries to his abdomen at a homeless shelter his family were staying at.

Dutro and Canady had allegedly waited two days to seek medical help and by that time it was too late.